Meet the Women Who Run Your Favorite Movies and TV Shows

Meet the Women Who Run Your Favorite Movies and TV Shows

No, it's not just a bunch of cigar-chomping dudes anymore. Meet the new creative superstars transforming what you watch: 35 women, age 35 or under—all here to share their career secrets with the rest of us.

The Creator: Liz Meriwether, 31

On the night her show
New Girl premiered, exec producer Meriwether worked so late on future episodes that she crashed in a sleeping bag. A colleague had to wake her at 5:00 A.M. to share the good news: They had a hit—and overnight Meriwether became the most sought-after voice in TV. Dana Walden, 20th Century Fox Television chairman, calls her "hilarious—and a perfectionist."

Her advice to you: "Don't sit in your room and work by yourself. Get out there. You become better actually doing."

Ture Lillegraven

The Hit Producer: Jessie Henderson, 31

Hear about how the female buddy comedy The Heat kicked box office ass in June? Henderson coproduced it. And she loves her job. "I have actual meetings where we discuss what will be the funniest jokes," says the exec VP of Feigco Entertainment. "A huge percentage of my day is spent laughing."

Her career advice: "Be nice at work! I don't mean you should kiss up to coworkers, but be kind, inquisitive, and interested. It's important."

Courtesy of Jessie Henderson

The Triple Threat: Brit Marling, 31

Consider her the new do-it-all actress: She cowrote, coproduced, and appeared in two 2011 Sundance hits, and since then Marling has starred in the Golden Globe-nominated Arbitrage and found time to write herself a part in the thriller The East. "She has the drive and passion to make art happen," says president of Fox Searchlight Pictures Nancy Utley.

How she got her start: "When I got out of college, instead of working at an investment bank, I traveled to Cuba to make a documentary," Marling tells Glamour. "I think my parents thought I had lost my mind."

Roger Kisby/Getty Images

The TV Editor: Ryan Case, 33

For each 22-minute Modern Family episode, Case edits the story lines of all 11 members of the Pritchett-Dunphy clan in a way that advances both the plot and characters. (That's no easy feat, considering some films don't achieve the same in two hours.) Four years and 16 show Emmys in, she's now directing episodes too.

Her earliest lesson: "The movies I made at age eight were stupid, frankly, but I noticed what I liked about the process."

Chris Smirnoff

The Hollywood Lawyer: Bianca Levin, 35

As a partner at Gang, Tyre, Ramer & Brown, Levin handles legal deals for some of the industry's biggest stars—a job she's dreamed of having since she was just a kid obsessed with The Golden Girls and all things Steven Spielberg. Nine years ago she left corporate law in New York, set out for L.A., and started at Gang, a top entertainment firm.

Her career advice: "It's as simple as waking up eager to work."

Ture Lillegraven

The Movie Green-Lighter: Niija Kuykendall, 33

As the VP of production at Warner Bros. Pictures, she finds epic stories and hires directors to make them. Guillermo del Toro's upcoming Beauty and the Beast with Emma Watson? That's her project.

Her career advice: "Speak! I've been the only woman in meetings and had to say, 'From a female perspective, this is what should happen.'"

Kawai Matthews

The Film Hero: Megan Ellison, 27

Call her the patron saint of cerebral filmmaking. The daughter of tech god Larry Ellison (of Oracle) keeps a low personal profile, but the highbrow movies she packages and funds—including the 2012 awards darling Zero Dark Thirty—get nothing but attention.

Her big talent: Joaquin Phoenix describes her as the "Han Solo of filmmaking...you think it's all over, and she comes to save the day."

Her career advice: "It's not easy, but you have to do what feels best. Figure out what you like."

Christopher Polk/Getty Images

The Music Supervisor: Libby Umstead, 31

She knew she wanted to match music with movies after seeing Baz Luhrmann's rock 'n' roll Romeo + Juliet in ninth grade. This year she's helped create the soundtracks for six films, including August: Osage County, starring Meryl Streep and Julia Roberts.

Her career advice: "Always be a student. Oh, and get your sleep!"

Courtesy of Libby Umstead

The Ingenue Director: Meera Menon, 29

The 2013 Tribeca Film Festival's Nora Ephron Prize went to Farah Goes Bang, a passion project Menon wrote, directed, and funded through social media. She was stunned. "I never thought I'd be in a room with so many incredible women—unless I was serving them cocktails."

What drives her: "There are so few roles for women of color. I can create them."

Elizabeth Kitchens

The Production Designer: Beth Mickle, 32

Mickle started out by building sets on her brother's student films. Her first legit gig was on the 2006 indie Half Nelson, starring Ryan Gosling. "I didn't even know who he was!" she says. Now she's set-dressing Gosling's directorial debut.

Her career advice: "Be collaborative and positive; you'll get much further."

Courtesy of Beth Mickle

The Costume Designer: Courtney Hoffman, 28

As a college student, Hoffman visited the set of The Chronicles of Narnia and met a designer who promised her she could join the crew after graduation. So she got her diploma—and just showed up. The upstart has gone on to contribute in the costume department for Django Unchained, Magic Mike, and Snow White and the Huntsman.

Her most humbling moment: "When [Oscar-winning designer] Colleen Atwood hired me. My dream came true. I had her number on a Post-it for years."

Her career advice: "Care about the details. People go to a movie, and for two hours they're transported. What I do makes or breaks that."

Courtesy of Georgia Allen

The Upstart: Anna Musso, 34

While assisting Academy Award-winning director Alexander Payne on his film The Descendants in Hawaii, Musso became frustrated watching her mentor do the job she so badly wanted. She stayed there after the shoot to write...and came home to direct her own movie, L Train. The film premiered at Sundance and—happy ending!—Musso took home the Women in Film prize for best short film.

Words she lives by: "In the middle of difficulty lies opportunity."

Vivien Killilea/WireImage

The Breakout Star: Rebel Wilson, 27

She was the best-worst roommate ever in Bridesmaids and had us singing along with Fat Amy in Pitch Perfect. Now the comic force is producing, writing, and starring in her own ABC series, Super Fun Night.

Best advice she ever got: "Generate your own material. Early on I had lunch with Amy Poehler, and she told me you can't survive in comedy without doing that."

Barry King/FilmMagic

The HBO Force: Kathleen McCaffrey, 31

Three years ago the director of original series for HBO met with a little-known college grad named Lena Dunham. And Girls—along with a movement where flaws and flab are group-hugged—was created. McCaffrey is now working on Ryan Murphy's latest, Open.

The Comic Scribe: Katie Dippold, 33

Dippold started in comedy writing as an intern at Late Night With Conan O'Brien before landing a job on Parks and Recreation. Last year, inspired by her love of buddy cop films and the funny females storming Hollywood, she decided to try her hand at film—and wrote the summer blockbuster The Heat.

Her career advice: "Working at home, you have to be disciplined, or you'll realize you've spent three hours online looking at photos of baby animals."

Courtesy of Katie Dippold

The Documentarian: Sara Broos, 35

The director started out as a Swedish-talk-show host before discovering she was more comfortable behind the camera. Last year she helmed the acclaimed award-winning documentary For You Naked, about her gay godfather.

What drives her: "The small stories. They're universal. We all just want to be loved for who we are."

Joakim Roos

The Fashion Eye: Stacey Battat, 34

"I was dying to do PR at Marc Jacobs, but I didn't get the job," Battat says. Instead she worked retail at Jacobs' New York City boutique—and befriended regular customer Sofia Coppola. Battat is now the director's go-to costumer, most recently for The Bling Ring.

Her career advice: "Don't be too specific about what job you want. Life has a way of finding you!"

Will Ragozzino/bfanyc.com

The Talent Scout: Jenny Maryasis, 31

When Maryasis applied for a talent-agency internship in college, she was really just trying to beef up her law-school application. But then she fell in love with the work. See ya, law school! Now she's a hotshot agent at United Talent Agency—negotiating between celebrity clients and the studios. (PS: She reps, guess who: Lena Dunham.)

Her career advice: "Operate under the assumption you'll get promoted, and you will."

Alberto E. Rodriguez/Getty Images

The Activist Agent: Judee Ann Williams, 34

Eleven years after starting as an assistant at Creative Artists Agency, Williams has the cool job of pairing the agency's celebs with charities. She credits her ascent to "always being curious—and willing to say yes."

Her fans say: "She's given me some of the most cherished memories of my life."—Minka Kelly, about Judee Ann Williams

Thomas Mendes

The Queen of Quirk: Zooey Deschanel, 33

Her hipster cuteness has proved contagious, but the star and coproducer of Fox's New Girl (the number-one TV comedy among young women) is more than "adorkable." Now she is a mogul, cofounding hellogiggles.com and heading her own production company.

Her career advice: "If you're passionate about your work, you're going to get something out of it. Even if people think you suck."

Jason Merritt/Getty Images

The Internet Crossover: Issa Rae, 28

When Rae released her Kickstarter-funded Web series, The Misadventures of Awkward Black Girl, celebs like Pharrell Williams couldn't stop tweet-gushing. Now she's working with producer Shonda Rhimes (Scandal) to develop a new ABC comedy. "I hope to help diversify the mainstream media and thrust other voices of color into the spotlight," Rae says.

Her career advice: "We tend to be competitive, but I've gotten this far by collaborating with women."

Darnell Willburn

The Voice: Lena Dunham, 27

Her conversation-starting, culture-defining show, Girls, proves that when Hollywood lets women take the wheel, good things happen. With two Golden Globes already, Dunham is working on an advice book—for a reported $3.7 million advance.

Her job's hidden upside: "Being able to turn pain or anxiety into some kind of creative material has been the most cathartic thing," she tells Glamour.

Jon Kopaloff/FilmMagic

The Newbie Executive: Rebecca Steel Roven, 26

It seems far-fetched to think of a 26-year-old calling the shots at a major film company (Atlas Entertainment)—but Roven had her first job a decade ago. Now she's working on Warcraft, an adaptation of the online game. "I've watched her rise," says mega-producer Lynda Obst. "Rebecca spent two years on the most macho camera truck!"

Her career advice: "As women we can be quite polite, but never be afraid to ask for what you want."

Sylvain Gaboury/Patrick McMullan

The Casting Director: Stephanie Herman, 29

As VP of casting for 20th Century Fox Television, Herman matches actors to some of the biggest shows on TV, like Modern Family and How I Met Your Mother. Sticking to her mantra—"believe in your taste"—she's developed the sharpest pair of eyes in L.A.

Her career advice: "Don't rush. You want to climb the ladder the right way."

Ture Lillegraven

The TV Writer: Tracey Wigfield, 30

Before landing at The Mindy Project, Wigfield assisted on 30 Rock, so she's worked under Tina Fey and Mindy Kaling. Fun fact: Her first day on Mindy, she walked in on Kaling peeing. (How hasn't that been written into the show yet?) Says Kaling: "Tracey shines—and she wrote my favorite episode of 30 Rock."

Who she admires: "Tina and Mindy. It's cool to look up to your girlfriends."

Courtesy of Tracey Wigfield

The TV Programmer: Angelica McDaniel, 35

As senior VP of daytime programing for CBS Entertainment, she oversees more than 1,000 episodes of TV every season for the network—and checks her BlackBerry for the prior day's ratings before she even gets out of bed. CBS president Nina Tassler calls her a "force of nature."

Words she lives by: "Don't get stuck in the frenzy of the day to day. You have to be aware of the bigger picture."

Eric McCandless/CBS

The Start-Ups: Molly McAleer, 29, and Sophia Rivka Rossi, 31

Rossi says their website hellogiggles.com (see
Zooey Deschanel!) began as "a Funny or Die for girls" and has evolved into a daily must-read by and for Hollywood's cool-girl inner circle (Maude Apatow and Kat Dennings contribute). Two million readers visit monthly for the L.A.-lady empowerment and, of course, the nail art.

Who they admire: "Badass women who became successful because they are just themselves, like Dolly Parton."

Courtesy of Zooey Deschanel, Molly McAleer, and Sophia Rivka Rossi

The Inspiration: Mindy Kaling, 34

After playing chatty Kelly Kapoor on
The Office—and at times being the show's only female writer—Kaling created Fox's The Mindy Project. She's paved the way for other female auteurs who want their voices—and jokes—to be heard.

What she's learned: "It used to be that you had to make female TV characters perfect so no one would be offended by your 'portrayal' of women. Thankfully, it's different now," she tells Glamour.

SplashNews

The Fierce Agent: Theresa Kang, 33

At a 2006 film festival, Kang elbowed through a crowd of agents to tell a hot director that she should represent him. Only problem: Kang was still an assistant. She got promoted, and that director—Seth Gordon (Horrible Bosses, Identity Thief)— became her first William Morris Endeavor client.

The Studio Executive: Hannah Minghella, 34

As president of production at Columbia Pictures, the daughter of late legendary director Anthony Minghella is Spider-Man's boss. "It was so validating to get that call for this job out of the blue," she says. "It taught me that keeping my head down and working hard had been noticed."

Her inspiration: "My grandparents, who started their own ice cream business 50 years ago."

Ture Lillegraven

The Trailer Producer: Sohini Sengupta, 35

Sengupta makes you want to see movies—literally. She creates trailers for huge films (like Black Swan) and helped develop the i-Trailer craze of interactive previews.

Her words to live by: "Be authentic; be forgiving of yourself; never give up."

Courtesy of Sohini Sengupta

The Cinematographer: Rachel Morrison, 35

After working on The Hills, she took a big risk and quit her job to get into movies. Success! Morrison oversaw the camera, lighting, and grip (that's rigging equipment to us nonindustry peeps) departments on this year's Oscar-buzzy Fruitvale Station.

Her words to live by: "No matter what, focus on the projects you believe in."